Being Martha Louise Hunter

here's what an old friend said when i asked if they'd be attending our 25-year class reunion.

"if I wanted to see any of those people, i'd be doing it already, so why spoil it now?"

what a snotty comment to make, i thought to myself. well, okay - it's not like i'm exactly going to be nominated for the dali lama award either, because with regard to a few choice people, i understood completely what this friend was talking about... but, may i also mention that this friend is also a "facebook holdout?"

so, what's THAT about?

part of the reason... well, let's be honest -- i wasn't especially clamoring for a seat on the facebook bandwagon myself.

& i wasn't just talking about sexual deviants & serial killers -- the whole "peeping tom" aspect in general bugged me. what i looked like, what i was up to, & what my personal views were on any given subject, not to mention my DOB was frankly, nobody's stinking business. when people kept nudging me, i'd smile pleasantly & say, "yeah, yeah, i'll get around to it."

like never.

then, someone said one day, "hey, i saw your facebook page."

"whatttttt??? that's impossible. i didn't put anything on there!"

"well, i guess someone did it for you," they said.

& the picture looked nothing like me at all....

a disgruntled member of this new facebook club, i'd shake my head at the people who'd post every time they went to the bathroom. are these people that bored, i thought, or what? seemed like every photo was either someone's stupid cat, a unicorn or a rainbow. assorted inspirational drivel & the occasional rant about obama or quote from ann richards. took me about a year to give my 1st

i've never exactly been a wallflower, so i finally decided to be a sport & shifted from voyeur to actual comment-er. messaged with cool people i hadn't talked to in forever, but my "presence" wasn't especially heavy-duty.

then, something strange happened.

a sweet old friend from high school who was kind of one of those bathroom-posters, well, her little grandson came early - super early. a very preemie-preemie in a life-or-death situation. everyone was riveted, watching picture after picture of the tiny little guy with an oxygen tube & IV's sticking out of him. every one of her updates had over a hundred likes & comments. she asked for prayers & she got them. from all of us. even when i wasn't online, i would think about them; i really came to adore him, & her, too.

& i realized something. this tiny little guy was a connector. he brought all of these people together toward a common goal. it was phenomenal, really. it truly was. & you know what? he got better. photo-by-photo, day-by-day, but he did, & now my friend's posts are of him playing with a huge, belly-laugh-smile on his face. & he's just so damn cute. had all of these people's prayers worked?

yes.

& as he got better, i felt like i did, too. everybody did.

the power of facebook

& the power of love.

so, that's why I'm writing this LOVE LETTER.

it's a love letter to facebook, definitely, but it's also a love letter to all of my old & dear friends who've welcomed me back into their lives.